Ravenous

   I simply couldn’t hold it in anymore. The awful screams, sights, and sounds haunted my every moment.

   Aiden paused, leaning against the wall as he held me against his chest, gently rubbing my hair. I was shaking, on the verge of vomiting again when Bret stepped into the stairwell followed swiftly by Cade. I pulled away from Aiden as I leapt forward, scrambling to try and get back out as Cade started to close the door. “No, wait!” I gasped, stumbling up a few steps. “Wait!”

   “Bethy.”

   “Let go of me!” I nearly screeched when Aiden wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back toward him. Panic was clawing at me, tearing through me in unending waves of horror. “I can’t be here! Aiden, let goof me!”

   He didn’t let me go; instead he pulled me further down the stairs, dragging me into the darkness. Bret and Cade followed slowly behind as I struggled within Aiden’s grasp and then went limp. Cade found the cord and pulled the switch on the light. I ducked my head, unable to look; my eyes were still wounded from the bright light of earlier. I blinked rapidly as I tried to focus my gaze.

   I was covered in blood, some of it was mine. Most of it wasn’t. And not all of it was from that creature. I wanted to deny that fact, but I couldn’t. I knew deep in my heart that most of the blood was from my neighbors, my friends. That thing had exploded like a fat tick, ripe with all the blood of the people we knew.

  “Bethy you’re safe, be glad.” I couldn’t be glad; there was no way that I could ever be glad again. I barely knew how to breathe anymore, let alone be happy I was still breathing.

   Aiden was practically carrying me now. “Where is the room?” Bret asked softly.

   Cade was suddenly before us, his eyes dark and distant. There was a hardness to him that I had not noticed before, a coldness that left me almost as shaken as the bloodbath we had just witnessed. I thought I might throw up again.

   I was stumbling, staggering, my head was spi

***

   I didn’t know what time it was when I woke up. I did know that everyone else in the room was sound asleep, and I needed to get the hell out of here. I was silent as I stood; I tried hard to control the frantic beat of my heart, and the rising panic trying to claim me. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found the switch for the door and pushed on it.

   The door swung slowly open. I stumbled into the darkness, managing to catch myself before I crashed into something. I turned back, staring at the people within the room, my friends, my family. Abby was curled against Aiden; she looked even younger and far more vulnerable in her sleep. Je

   I took one last look at them before I slid the door silently closed. I crept slowly up the stairs, being far quieter than I had ever thought I could be. But then again, there was a lot that I had done this day that I hadn’t thought I ever would, or could, do. I had never dreamed I would fire a gun, let alone help to kill something with it.

   Opening the door just a sliver, I stuck my eye against the crack as I struggled to see anything. My ears strained as I searched for noise. I felt brave enough, and secure enough, to open the door a little further before slipping completely out of the cellar. Sunlight filtered through the blinds, another day had risen; the world still turned, and I was still in hell.

   The first thing I looked for was the bathroom, which I found in a small room behind the counter. I was horrified by the blood that streaked my face. My blue eyes were shadowed by dark circles; my long hair was a tangled mess I was half afraid I would have to cut off. There was a dark bruise forming on one side of my face, it took up most of my cheek. Beneath the bruise was a jagged slice about three inches long. I touched it tenderly, wincing as pain lanced through the area where the creature had struck me.

   I turned the water on, and to the best of my ability, scrubbed the blood from my face and arms before ducking my head to wash as much of the blood out of my hair as I could. The water ran red and the sink was a mess by the time I was done. Fresh nausea turned through my stomach as I washed the blood splatters from the basin. I was able to keep from throwing up this time though.

   I felt marginally better afterwards, but not much. I longed for the backpacks full of toothpaste and clothes that had been abandoned at my house. I longed for a hairbrush and conditioner as I struggled to unknot the tangles with my fingers. It took awhile, and I ripped out a lot of hair in the process, but I finally managed to get most of it unknotted.

   Sighing softly, I made my way to the front of the store. The blinds were still drawn, but the sun crept in around the edges of them. I inhaled deeply, taking a moment of joy in its soothing warmth, and reassuring presence. All hell had broken lose, the world continued to turn, some form of life would go on. Even if it wasn’t human.

   My hand trembled as I reached forward and pulled one of the slats down. I peered cautiously out at the street. It was eerily quiet out there. Even eerier were the things left behind. Bicycles, papers, coffee cups, wallets, purses, and even shoes were scattered about the street, with other possessions, like discarded causalities of war. There were no bodies out there though, there were no people left at all.

   I shuddered as I stared at the desolate scene. It almost seemed as if it might be safe to go outside again. I knew it wasn’t. I may not be able to see them right now, but they were out there. Somewhere. But we couldn’t stay here forever either. We would eventually have to move, they would find us if we didn’t.

   Or maybe they wouldn’t…

   “Bethany.” I jumped slightly at the hissed whisper. Releasing the blind I turned as Cade stepped out of the cellar. His eyes narrowed in displeasure, his full lips compressed into a tight line. The blood that had coated him last night was gone, and now that I thought of it, I realized that they had all been cleaner than me. They must have washed themselves after I had passed out last night. “What are you doing?”

   “All of the people are gone.”

   “If you don’t take better care of yourself you’ll be gone too,” he muttered so quietly that I almost didn’t catch it all.

   “I’ve been taking care of myself for awhile now,” I retorted, trying hard not to lose my patience. I had thought that he was different than Bret, that he had a little more confidence in me. Apparently I was wrong.

   His midnight eyes raked me; his dark eyebrows drew sharply together. Then, his face relaxed slightly and a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. It was so very rare to see him smile that I had forgotten how sweet and melting it could be. He moved slowly toward me. Reaching behind me he pulled the blind apart to peer outside. My heart kicked up a beat; I could feel the blood rushing through my ears as it tripped eagerly along. His arm was near my head, the heat of his body pressed against me as he took a step closer.

   His gaze came slowly back to me as he released the blind. I stared silently up at him, hoping that he wouldn’t kiss me again. Praying that he would. “I know you can take care of yourself, but wandering around alone isn’t safe. For anyone.”

   I swallowed heavily and managed a nod. “I didn’t want to be in that room.”